Bread-making plant and machinery



June ll, 1929. J. E. PolNToN BREAD MAKING PLANT AND MACHINERY Filed Nov. l1, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'l-I En im /V Hwmwllfl @lhlhmhlio |l|1|w ihm .5 .Rio

lill! Jun 1l, 1929. J. POINToN 1.715.460

BREAD MAKING PLANT AND MACHINERY Filed Nov. 1'1, 192e A 2 sheets-sheet 2 m remi-n Patented June 11, 1929.I

UNI-Ts s JOHN EDWARD POINTON, OF PETERBOROUGH, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BAKER PER- KINS 'COMPANY INCORPORATED, OF NEWYORKIN. Y.

BREAD-MAKING- PLAZN'I AND 'MACHINERY.

` Application filed November 11, 1926,4Seria1 No. 147,803, andin Great Britain `April. 8, 1926;

This invention relates to bread making plant and ymachinery ofthe type wherein a -continuous oven and a'prover.l are arranged for operationin series, the loaves or bread portions being carried ina circuit- A ous course through said proverand oven on venient and effective production of'both tink aand oven bottom bread as maybe desired anendless. chain conveyor. Thevobject of the invention is to provide in such apparatus for the more ready, conby; the baker.

vTheinvention comprises the combination with the `oven and the proverufor operating in series therewith, of means enabling the said prover' to be employed for the proving of the dough `portions for the production of both tin and oven bottom bread.

The invention further comprises the arrangement and combination oflparts as hereinafter ,described and claimed.

LReferringrto the two accompanying sheets ofV explanatory `drawings Figure 1 is a sectional elevation and Figure 2 a plan illustrating in outline or diagrammatic form a continuous oven and prover and showing one manner of applying this invention thereto.

Figure 3 is an elevation and Figure 4L a plan showingfanother manner of applying the invention.

The same reference letters in the different views indicate the same .or similar parts.

In theapplication of the invention illustrated at Figures 1 and 2, the prover comprises a chamber a extending over the oven or lbaking-chamber b and also: in advance of the entering-end cof saidoven. The endless conveyor Z which `has the usualtraysor shelves such as eV suspended therefrom,

' serves lboth the proving andthe baking chambers andby means of suitably disposed guide wheels-as f is caused to travel in a circuitous course through both chambers as indicatedby the arrows.V ln the course of eachcomplete circuit the conveyor in passing round the guide wheel at g leaves and re-enters the prover at a position (hereinafter termed' the intermediate exit) between the position at L, where the dough portions are placed on the prover -trays or shelves e, and the position z' justprior to the entry to the oven. The said intermediate exit at g and the path or course of the conveyor adjacentthe same are arranged so that the dough portions may be readily removed from the conveyor'on its emergence at such exit gfand replacedfon thatportion of it at t' which is about to enter the oven Z). 0The lengthf'or extent; ofthe circuit of the conveyor iny its passage through the prover from the laforesaid position 71, where the dough vportions are inserted to the intermediate exit at g, is suiicient to give the necesbread thedo'ugh portions areremoved from o the conveyorat the intermediate exit g and replaced on. that portion ofthe conveyorat i which is about to enter the oven. yIn such production of oven bottom bread, the conveyor or conveyor trays are empty when travelling through the proverfrom the reentry` immediately following the intermediate exitsat glto the :exit yat i just prior to enteringthe oven. Y

z For the. production of tin bread, so called because each `loaf or-'dough portion is placed in: atin orcontainer in which it remains duringproof and baking, a longer period of proof is frequired for the dough portions Which-.1 .are therefore :not removedI at -thc aforesaid intermediate exit g but remainvon the-conveyor trays from the position of first entry. tothe prover' at It and until they khave passed through the oven and arrived at the outlet y' where the loaves are withdrawn from the shelves e and carried away by the belt` conveyor 7e, or'fotherwise. The beltoonvoyor Z near the opposite end of the oven is forcarrying the dough portions from the moulding machines Vto the aforesaid .position l, wheretheyla-re placed on the shelves e of thel conveyor CZ.

When producing oven bottom bread it is necessary-to pre-heatthe conveyor trays e before 'placingftheproveddough portions sired ,variation j g From the position at p where Z passesout from the oven I), the conveyor Z returns overthe top of the prover a as shown tothe prover entry position at L. The conveyor has a continuance or intermittent movement imparted thereto from any convenient source ofpower acting through transmitting mechanism which may include a spur wheel as Q mounted, as shown at Figure 2, upon one of the'shafts carrying a pair of vthe guide wheels f for the chains forming the conveyor d. To permit of the bashing or shaping of the loaf portions between their removal at the intermediate exit at g and their subsequent replacement on the conveyor at 11 just inv advance ot' the oven entry, a bashing table or support is provided at 1 (Figure l).

In the example of the application of the invention illustrated at Figures 3 and 4, the prover a, is in advance of the oven b and does not extend over the latter as in the example at Figures l and 2. In travelling from the prover to the ovenA the conveyor d, prior to entering the oven at i, passes through the intermediate chamber s provided with heating elements m which, as with thelike elements m in the apparatus illustrated at Figures 1 and 2, pre-heat the conveyor trays e for the baking of oven bottom bread. The conveyor is guided in its passage through the said intermediate chamber s by guide wheels asshown and by a lixed-curved track as t.

The period ot'proof, or fermentation of the dough portions both for oven bottom bread or loaves and tin bread `or loaves, may be varied by the provision in the provera of an adjustable guide wheel as u for each ot' the chains forming the conveyor d, and corresponding guide wheels as o associated with the balance weight fw; on the exterior of the prover. VThe wheels u can be raised and lowered between the top and bottom positions lshown at Figure by any suitable mechanism, comprising for example a pair of screws, (of which one, m, is seen through the broken away portion of the prover wall in Figure 3), operated through bevel gears g/ and .e from the electric motor l and gear box 2 from which also the conveyor d is operated. The bottom position of the wheels a gives the longest'course for the conveyor d through the prover Z) and consequently the longest periodofproot or er mentation for the dough portions. In like manner the top position of the wheels u gives the shortest course and the shortest period of proof. The raising and lowering of the wheels a is accompanied by a corre sponding and automatic lowering and raising of the wheels o and balance weight fw and thus the conveyor accommodates itself to such adjustments of the periods of proof.

The dough portions are placed on the conveyor trays at the yposition 71 as with the former. example. The baked loaves are removed as the conveyor passes out'from the oven around the guide Wheel v'3. f The'iconveyorreturns over the top of the oven and prover as shown. v

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire'to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In bread making plant andmachinery, the combination comprising an oven, a

prover, a conveyor serving said oven and prover, and vguiding means for the said conveyor' causing the latter in travelling` through its circuit to bringtheV dough portions into a position on the exterior of the prover adjacent the oven entry and' subsequently carry them through a looped or circuitous course from such position tothe said entry.

2. In bread making plant and machinery, the combination comprising anV oven, a prover, Va conveyor, guiding.meansrcausing the said conveyor to'travel in a circuitous course through said oven and said prover, heating elements in the oven kextending across the spaces between the paths of the conveyor, guiding means causing the conveyor in traveling through its circuit to bring the dough portions into a position on the exterior of the prover adjacent the oven entry and subsequently carry them through a looped or crcuitous course from such position to the said entry, and in association with .said conveyor means `for varying the period of proof.l Y 1 In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. 

